How does school start time impact young students’ outcomes?

By Nathan Storey, Johns Hopkins University

Existing research has suggested that secondary students benefit from later school start times to accommodate adolescent sleep patterns and address chronic sleep loss, as well as other mental and physical health outcomes. Later starts can also positively impact attendance, grades, test scores, and disciplinary incident rates. However, less is known about how start times impact elementary school students. In a 2022 study, Bastian and Fuller provided interesting insight into this issue.

Based on two studies conducted  in North Carolina elementary schools, the researchers explored the impact of school start time on student engagement and achievement. In the first study, they found that moving school an hour earlier was associated with increased absences, particularly for White and rural students, but that the shift did not have consistent impact on academic achievement. In a state-wide analysis, earlier start times did predict significantly higher math scores, particularly for students of color, disadvantaged students, and rural students. In addition, an earlier start time seemed to lead to an initial increase in suspensions, but the suspension rates went back down in subsequent years.

In the second study, the researchers compared students at schools starting at 7:25 or 7:45 am (16 schools), 8:30 am (5 schools), and 9-9:15 am (7 schools). They found that earliest start times were associated with less sleep for 5^th graders (45 minutes less per school night), while students at middle start time (8:30 am) got 26 minutes less sleep. This study also found increases in absences in early-start schools (nearly one additional day per year), but that there was no association with suspensions. In addition, they found no significant impact on either reading or math achievement related to start time changes.

These findings suggest that school districts considering earlier start times for elementary students may see some benefits, but should consider the impact on student absences and explore approaches to maximize participation and engagement.